Ferdosa Abdi

Everything in American Star hinges on McShane's intuitive performance that rejects the obvious and embraces ambiguity.

A stumble in the third act derails the whole adventure, bringing the enjoyment to a screeching halt. However, with some foresight, Windfall could have been a sure-fire hit.

Achoura is by no means a bad film — quite the opposite in fact. There is potential for Selhami’s career as a horror writer-director as his vision and ambition shine bright through his film.

A Tourist's Guide to Love is not remarkable, but its simplicity and familiarity are comfortable and, most importantly, entertaining.

The film has two major things going for it: Goldstein and Poots' casting and their characters' chemistry. The only thing that fully captures our attention from beginning to end is Laura and Simons’ undeniable spark and charming banter.

Mother of the Bride's success rests on the filmmakers' abilities to not oversell anything and trust that the collective charisma of the assembled cast will do what it needs to do — and it does, though a flimsy script and one major miscast can be distracting.

The Mother is a lean, mean actioner, but one that could have benefited from better editing and a tighter script. That’s not to say that the film is terrible or unbearable by any means, it's just that it is a straightforward narrative that does not require a nearly two-hour run time to tell it right.

Confess, Fletch isn't a ringing endorsement of rebooting projects from the 80s; instead, it is an excellent showcase of Jon Hamm's comedic chops, a well-known skill that has been primarily misused until now.

The film is very pleasant and manages to succeed in what many romantic comedies often fail to do — be entertaining and worth revisiting.

The most glaring issue with Spaceman is that the leap from page to screen leaves quite a bit of the story behind and saddles its lead actor with much of the heavy lifting.

There needs to be a vision, an ambition to make something good and memorable. Ida Red, unfortunately, seems to fall into the trap of emulating better crime dramas instead of trying to stand out on the merits of its own story.

With so many people and life going back to some semblance of normalcy, Alone Together may feel slightly too late, but Holmes' film offers something worth engaging with.

This story isn't the flashiest werewolf tale, but it is worth seeing thanks to a fresh perspective. As flawed as the story may be, the story from a child's eyes offers a new and unique entry point for the subgenre.

Falling For Christmas was the best comeback film for Lohan; it could have been better quality, but it is better than nothing. She's in her element, and her natural charisma is illuminated, partially by how uninteresting her costar is. The script and overall production leave much to be desired, but with how low expectations usually are, this one is okay.

The talent is abundant on screen and behind the camera, but a flimsy screenplay fails them all.

The film manages to be a very straightforward horror, but the lackluster character work diminishes whatever good comes from its genre shift, and the shift is substantial.

It is great that this blended family is so diverse, but if there is no thoughtful integration of their stories, they remain merely set dressing.

Praise This is wildly uneven but not entirely unenjoyable. There is enough here that makes the film perfectly fine. It is formulaic, but its earnestness and impactful narrative will touch many.

For what it is, and for who it is for, Redeeming Love is in its own way an effective showing of the power of love. Undoubtedly, however, a more compelling romantic drama about a woman finding peace with herself could have been told.

Krieps has such a clear vision of who Vivienne is when she isn’t the object of romance, violence or intolerance. Her quirks and quiet dominance ultimately shift the film toward the direction Mortensen thought he was headed.

Ultimately, Michel Franco’s Sundown feels hollow and too nihilistic for its own good.

Retribution is comically familiar, yet that familiarity breeds a sense of comfort for the average movie watcher who wants something not too complicated or tedious.

While it has entertaining moments, Black as Night isn't very balanced and the overall lack of levity ultimately makes the film a slog to get through.

They/Them is impactful for its reason for existing and the excellent ensemble cast that deserves to shine. The film is not unwatchable; it is merely without excitement. Satisfying as it is for the film to directly take aim at dangerous institutions, there is sadness in knowing this horror couldn't find a happy middle.

While Bloom and MacDowell anchor the film with their strong performances, leading an ensemble cast that is foundational to this rugged Western, the score by Mondo Boys and cinematography by Johnny Derango do a lot to embed the themes and concepts into the atmosphere of the film.

Interceptor checks all the boxes in terms of making an action film that will grab the audience's attention, have one root for the hero, and let out a few chuckles (especially for one horribly done cameo) before promptly forgetting the movie exists.

It's not outright terrible, but it's nothing to get too excited about, either. There's even a sweet subplot about mother and daughters and familial trust. It's an overall cute family movie and anyone who adores Diaz and Foxx will find a way to enjoy it.

With a stellar leading pair who make the most of the screenplay, Darby and the Dead has enough to keep audiences moved and laughing on occasion, though it is unclear whether it can bring viewers back for a rewatch. The only certainty is that Downs and Cravalho are great together and should have the privilege of leading more projects.